Chap 23

In the small, worn-down wooden house, silence filled the space after Mu Sui's soft-spoken "words of love."

During this quiet pause, Mu Sui suddenly felt a strange lightness in his body. The sharp pain in his chest, which Meng Ruji had treated yesterday, seemed to have lessened, and even other minor aches he had ignored were fading away. He had tasted the water of the Nai River, but the medicine Meng Ruji brought back was genuine. 

Not only had it spared him from a journey to the afterlife, but it also eased some of his lingering ailments.

"The medicine's effective," Mu Sui remarked, honesty lining his voice. "This is very good medicine."

The effects were nearly identical to the pills he’d helped develop in Zhuliu City.

Meng Ruji adjusted her belt and stood up. "It’s still early. I'll head to the market, see if I can find some work."

Mu Sui looked at her intently. "Did you spend all the money on the medicine?"

"I still have ten coins left," Meng Ruji replied openly. Whether Mu Sui was once the lord of Zhuliu City didn’t change the fact that they needed to eat. "Get some rest so the medicine can work its magic. I’ll be back soon."

As Meng Ruji left, Mu Sui felt a familiar ache in her absence. Once he regained his composure, he listened carefully, realizing no one else was around. He pulled a silver ingot from his pocket, set up a formation as before, and watched as a shadow of cinnabar emerged from the circle.

“City Lord,” the shadow murmured as it took shape, becoming solid. “I just retrieved the golden staff from Chiying Palace, but I haven’t had a chance to track down the rabbit…”

“What’s going on with the medicine that cures Nai River poison?” Mu Sui asked, a dark edge to his tone.

Chensha looked alarmed. “Did the city lord accidentally drink Nai River water? Do you need extra funds? I can deliver them immediately.”

“Focus on your task. I’m asking why the price of the pill has dropped. How are pills available at a remote market?”

Chensha, sensing Mu Sui’s steady tone, relaxed but still scratched his head in embarrassment. “It’s the rabbit.”

That rabbit again…

Mu Sui’s expression darkened.

“After you left, some pharmacists emerged. The rabbit decided to stabilize the medicinal trade in Zhuliu City by adjusting prices with the manager. They reduced the detoxifying pill from twenty silvers to seven and supplied it across various shops, aiming to squeeze out other pharmacists…”

As Chensha continued, Mu Sui’s frown deepened.

“But… after the price adjustment, the demand didn’t increase. Those wealthy enough to pay twenty silver weren’t bothered by the change, while those who couldn’t afford it before still couldn’t at seven silver. This is part of why the treasury is now nearly empty.”

“The funds I left behind were for you to appoint a capable successor,” Mu Sui said icily, “not to squander on a rabbit-turned-spirit.” He paused. “If you’re so desperate to avoid returning to the human world, go ahead—jump into the Nai River rather than waste resources on that rabbit’s whims.”

Chensha lowered his head, chastened.

“What’s that you’re holding?” Mu Sui asked, noticing a half-height iron cage in Chensha’s hand.

“Oh… I retrieved the golden staff as you ordered. Now I’m off to capture the rabbit… Should I bring a cage?”

“It’s too big,” Mu Sui replied. “Get a smaller one. I want her kept in her original form.”

Hearing Mu Sui’s growing anger, Chensha quickly agreed.

Without further words, Mu Sui dismantled the formation and erased his traces.

He remembered how, as a mere rabbit, the leaders of Zhuliu City indulged her endlessly for her charms. Now, she had rallied followers, disrupted the city’s order, and drained its treasury. In this land, money was not just currency but also a source of power and spiritual resources. It wasn’t just a few nostalgic fools who had fallen under her influence but a whole faction following her lead. 

Mu Sui knew he had to regain control. He’d have to lure her inner elixir from her to restore order. But for now…

He glanced at the pill wrapper discarded on the ground, his expression softening.

Seven silvers for these pills. The medicine seller might have charged an extra silver or two, given the distance, yet Mu Sui knew precisely how much Meng Ruji had. Yesterday, he’d given her eight silvers. Now, she was down to ten coins.

She’d willingly sacrificed nearly everything—her wealth, her strength, her resources—for him.

A “wild girl” who once had her inner elixir stolen by him, a stranger she barely knew.

Before yesterday, she might not have understood the magical properties of Zhuliu’s silver. But now, she knew the value. And still, she chose him.

True sincerity isn’t rare; it’s when that sincerity endures hardship that it becomes invaluable.

Meng Ruji had lived long enough to see life’s cruelty yet still chose to help others and trust a stranger. Mu Sui knew he couldn’t do the same.

He picked up the oil paper that had wrapped the pills, carefully smoothed its wrinkles, and folded it neatly, tucking it close to his heart.

He thought, "I may not be able to love as she does, but I can believe in my own way. I can press forward, unwavering, and never look back."

After leaving the shabby cabin, Meng Ruji moved to a quiet spot in the forest, glancing around to make sure no one was nearby. Once sure, she pulled out a rough, gray stone from her waist and threw it to the ground with force. “Can’t you count?” she muttered angrily.

With a small pop, the stone transformed into an older man. Mo Li, brushing dust from his clothes with a theatrical sigh, grumbled, “Xiao Meng, must you treat an old man so harshly? My joints won’t survive many more falls like that.”

Meng Ruji wasn’t having it. “I asked for a simple confirmation. Two jumps for yes, none for no. But you... you gave me one jump! Care to explain that?”

Mo Li raised a finger, calmly offering his logic. “One jump means maybe. Two jumps mean definitely yes, no jumps mean no. Simple, right?”

Somehow, his absurd answer almost made sense, which only frustrated her more.

“But then why did you say, ‘I’m not sure’?” Meng Ruji shot back. “Don’t tell me your memory’s slipping with age.”

“I remember the Lord of Zhuliu City perfectly,” Mo Li replied, shrugging. “The last time I saw him, he looked twenty-six or so. The person with you looks like a teenager. Sixteen, seventeen, maybe?”

Meng Ruji frowned. “Cultivators don’t age easily, but they don’t grow younger either. So how could he look like this now? Is he using a disguise?”

Mo Li chuckled knowingly. “In the Land of No Retention, money powers magic. No coin, no spell. You know that, Xiao Meng.”

She nodded, recalling her first days here when even her own spells had been useless without money. If Mu Sui couldn’t use a disguise, then this was truly how he looked.

“If it’s not a disguise... then what? Is he really getting younger?”

“Could be... or maybe he has a twin,” Mo Li suggested, though Meng Ruji gave him a withering look.

“Twins don’t have a ten-year age gap, Mo Li,” she snapped. But despite the ridiculous suggestion, she had to admit it did make her wonder.

Seeing her hesitation, Mo Li smiled, his thin red lips bright against his pale face. “So, did I really jump wrong? I wasn’t sure, that’s all.”

Meng Ruji clenched her fists to keep from saying something harsher. But as she sorted through her thoughts, she whispered to herself, “He’s probably the same Mu Sui. Somehow, he’s crossed back into this world but looks younger...”

“Or he just looks like him,” Mo Li said with a smirk.

“Shut it.” Meng Ruji ignored him, thinking aloud. “He came back here, maybe with some purpose, and somehow dragged me into it. Now he’s stuck here, and all he remembers is how to ask me for food and call me ‘sister.’”

She paused, feeling a pang of pity. All the effort it must have taken him to return to the human realm, only to be sent back here, starting over from scratch.

If Mu Sui ever regained his memory, would he hate her? If she were in his place, she might.

As she sank deeper into thought, Mo Li idly twirled his hair and spoke up, “Xiao Meng, you know, in the Land of No Retention, partners can share their wealth.”

“Huh?” Meng Ruji turned, her annoyance fading slightly.

“Yep,” he replied, looking rather pleased with himself. “Partners share half of everything. I heard the Lord of Zhuliu City’s wealth could pile up a thousand mountains. Share half of that, and that’s five hundred mountains for his partner. Even if I wanted to live comfortably in old age, I wouldn’t have even one mountain.”

Meng Ruji shot him a look. “You…”

Mo Li smiled. “No need for details; it’s exactly what it sounds like.” He then let out a long, dramatic sigh. “I’ve heard that the Lord of Zhuliu City is also called the Lord of Qianshan because his wealth could pile up mountains. If he were to share half with his partner, that’d be at least five hundred mountains. Meanwhile, if I wanted support in my old age, I wouldn’t even get one mountain.”

Meng Ruji glanced at him suspiciously. “You…”

“I... don’t mean anything by it.” Mo Li leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, “I’m just saying, I saw a fool who clearly likes you. I’m an old man; it hurts me to see such sincere feelings wasted.”

He pulled back with a sly smile. Meng Ruji looked at him, feeling like she was staring at someone whose mind was filled with calculating abacus beads.

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